The Challengers
by Ki-Chan Riker
Summary: Jason's life didn't stay the same once he came back from the multiverse. It changed quite drastically- the man had friends now. And just wait til Bruce and the League find out...
1. Jason

Saving the entire multiverse can change just about anybody who does it. Jason Todd was no exception of this. The man had seen vastly different versions of himself and his so called family. Each one was different in one way or another. On one of them, Jason himself was Batman. Something that the man dreamed of yet knew would never happen. Bruce didn't even trust him as his son, why would he trust the street kid as the next Batman?

Those Justice League members just happened to be Donna as Wonder Woman and Kyle Rayner as their main Green Lantern. The three of them were playing the roles of Diana, Clark, and Bruce. Just seeing that started to put things into perspective for Jason.

Seeing that world scared the man. So Jason did what he always did- he hid. Others saw him as only a villain, a person that didn't care about others, and he let them. He never changed the Heroes minds that he, Jason Todd wasn't just a self-serving shallow villain.

Jason knew even back then that people thought of him as an anomaly. Those that died- they stayed dead, but he didn't. Maybe it was the companionship of Bob, Kyle, and Donna that made the young man not so bitter. Whatever it was, Jason slowly changed.

The man, naturally, had to be caught in the middle of an alien invasion. It was Jason Peter Fricking Todd! Of course the universe sends the invasion right smack dab around him.

* * *

Looking up at the sky full of grey winged giant warrior bats, Jason sighed. He was all prepared to go his own way, minding his own business when something quite ridiculous happened. Out of the sky crashed Troia wrestling with one of the invaders, both trying to get the upper hand. Finally getting sick of the best, the amazon woman screamed a war cry and punched the other with an uppercut to the jaw. This caused the grey creature to crash land right in front of Jason, making the man hop backwards.

Jason merely took a couple steps backwards of the invader, angrily asking. "Do ya mind?" He brushed layers of concrete dust off his jacket.

"Jason?!" Troia spotted the man, her blue eyes a lit with many things. The woman landed a few feet away. "I did not know you would be here."

Another alien easily joined his brethren in being knocked out as he landed on top of the previous one.

"I wasn't planning on having an alien invasion happen in front of me." The angry man whipped out a gun, firing at a beast coming from the side.

"A little help here!" A very voice rang out, causing Jason to sigh as he looked up. The sight wasn't unfamiliar to him. It was quite accustomed to. The green lantern who had cried out was enclosed in a bubble covered in hordes of grey scaly creatures.

"I would love to catch up, Jason, but…" Donna took to the air, her features filled with apology.

"Yeah, yeah. Go save Kyle's butt again. I can take care of these guys." The Red Hood assured her.

Donna smiled in thanks, already gathering her lasso from her hip. "Maybe we can catch up afterwards?"

* * *

"Is it me or are they acting weird?" Hal Jordan asked, his ringed hand scratching at his head.

"Who Jordon?" Batman growled, turning away from the monitor in front of him. They were in the JLA tower, trying to understand who was behind the attack a week before.

"I agree, they are acting rather unusual. Even for them, Hal." Diana answered, taking a seat and crossing her arms.

"You know Bats…" Hal couldn't talk in a clear sentence, wondering if the alleged batman missed this. Seeing his glare, the lantern elaborated. "Kyle and Donna. They teamed up during the invasion. Last night, Kyle told me that they were catching up with an old friend while in town."

"And what's the matter with that? It was probably a former titan." The Dark Knight sternly replied, not seeing what was wrong.

"They weren't in the Titans together. Kyle never joined." Hal started to explain.

Diana justified his statement, softly. The woman had been quiet until now. "They met up with a man named Jason. He was never a Titan as well, Bruce."

"Jason?" The name came out harsher then what he meant it to, just like always. Bruce could already feel that headache coming on. "I didn't even know he was in town. Nightwing said he was in Gotham still."

"You're not the only one, Bats." Hal commented sourly.

"Where are they now?" Bruce started to pull up surveillance cameras. The detective was feeling rather unsettled.

"Bruce, shouldn't we see what they are doing before we go crashing into things we know nothing about?" Diana- ever the voice of reason, tried to placate the men.

"The kid said that they were only gonna be in town til this afternoon. Can't hurt to see how things play out." Hal floated a few inches off the ground.


	2. The Cold

The Cold A warm winter night,  
With a fire sparking with love A Protector sits nearby A name on my tongue A name I know him

I am nothing without him by my side He shields me with love a game, what a game.  
Brother-Jason

How valiant he fights never letting me get injured People can be dangerous two lone siblings huddled warmly.  
Friend, a story is asked for.

Jason leans closer Green eyes sparking with love Red Looms on the horizon I cannot stop it Pain and Sorrow and Red

Tomorrow's here again Jason, brother don't vanish A cold winter night looms no fires are there

The snow is deep With no path leading me now Figures block the sun infront Where is my hope? Colour?  
I see is sorrow

Red paints the snow with cackles and screeches I fall screaming 'Jason!'  
There are no brown jackets There is no laughter

All alone in snow my protector is not here Jason cannot come He sleeps on behind me No longer guiding.

Notes:  
This Jason was one from a different universe, so I thought it should go here. Probably didn't make much sense. Sorry about that, it was part of an English assignment where we had to emulate Edgar Allen Poe's poem; Annabel Lee. 


	3. Donna

CHALLENGERS2

Donna Troy

Before the multiverse, she didn't know who she was supposed to be. Donna didn't even know if she was a real person or not. Her story had so many possible beginnings that she was lost. Was she the magical duplicate of Diana originally supposed to be the princess' playmate? Or was she her younger sister? Blessed by the gods to be what? The Gods had her created for a purpose, and Donna Troy didn't know why that was.

Donna had thought herself alone in this world, unwanted and forgotten. It wasn't until she stood at the grave of Duela Dent where she happened upon that of Jason Todd. A man for all intents and purposes dead, but not anymore. He was an anomaly just like Kyle and herself.

And when they started to travel through the multiverse, encountering the many different fractures of themselves, Donna found something that already existed inside of her. But it wasn't until she was faced with the other Donna Troy; the one of Wondergirl that she knew exactly who and what she was.

She uttered the words as she stared into the same eyes as herself. It had been like finally looking into a mirror. And not one of those passing glances. That gaze that day had been soul searching and Donna uttered those six words. "I'm Donna Troy, bitch. Donna. Troy."

* * *

The three of them were sitting at an outdoor café. None of them were still in hero garb, but Donna doubted that would make hardly any difference if they were attacked.

"Haven't you guys ever wondered if we should reform what we had going for us?" Kyle asked, slouched in the rod iron chair.

Jason was sprawled across one opposite, a beer bottle in front of him. The man still wore his leather jacket, but with jeans and a green shirt. "I am not going to join your mini Justice League, Rayner. Besides, if your looking for team players, go find Replacement or the Circus Act. Hell, even the Demon Brat has been hanging out with the Titans or some such act."

"The Monitors did call us the Challengers from Beyond. What if we use that?" Donna looked around herself, wondering if there was a way to keep the three of them together. It had felt… pretty nice actually, when she had been fighting alongside others who understood her. Maybe it was just her being nostalgic?

"And what jurisdiction will we cover, hmm?" Jason asked with a contemptuous snort. "I'm a gun wielding murdering vigilante. Princess here, is mythical being blessed by the gods but doesn't have a backstory. You yourself are an intergalactic space cop that fulfilled a prophecy and became a God. And you want to form a mini clubhouse? Get your head on straight, Rayner."

* * *

That was the thing about Jason, the man was secretly afraid that people wouldn't like him. So he flaunted it. He lashed out at others, pretending that he didn't care and rubbed painful memories where they could do the most damage. But both Kyle and I have gotten used to his ways and didn't even blink an eye at him. It's funny how destruction of the multiverse and everything you hold dear makes some things not at big to you anymore.

* * *

"I don't what they are doing but it's starting to creep me out." Hal was the first to break the silence. The group of three had been keeping tabs on their younger members for the last several days. Or at least they tried to.

"Quit being so vocal about it." Bats growled, pulling up yet more information on the three.

"Why don't we just go confront them? What harm is there in that, Bruce?" Diana questioned.

The three Leaguers had been watching from the shadows as Kyle, Donna, and Jason hung out the past several days. It had started to irk the Amazon that they didn't just confront them and ask questions.

"Because they can do a lot of damage. It is better to wait and learn, Diana." Bruce growled at her, pulling up a different window. Readings went from their base lines to enormous spikes very quickly, prompting the detective to move quickly from the room.

Sharing a look, Hal and Diana followed the Dark hero through the corridors of the Tower.


	4. Kyle

CHALLENGERS 3

Kyle Rayner

Being the last of a something that stood for a great many things is hard. But when the man who had the name of Green Lantern went all crazy and turned into Parallax, well it was tough. Then he was basically being turned into a something on par with being a 'god' and the greatest threat to everything is created from your fear. Kyle had done many things, probably saving the universe an estimated ten times.

But the man went from being simple old Kyle Rayner: High school student working in Graphic Design to Kyle Rayner: Intergalactic Space Cop called Green Lanterns and part of the Justice League. So when the man found himself tagging along side Donna and Jason, trying to save Palmer, he felt like that was where he was needed and wanted most. It felt good to have people around that understood and was going through the same things that he was.

Kyle and Jason were similar in more ways than one. That fact was what probably had the two at each other throats all of the time. If Kyle had to really admit it, he'd say that he and Jason were so similar that Kyle felt like he got the short end of the sidekick stick. The other had been a former Robin- trained by the Dark Knight and was his sidekick for numerous years. Kyle's hero was an insane Lantern bent on warping an entire reality. Jason had actually gotten combat training but with Kyle and Hal- there was no mentor-apprentice relationship. How could there be when the elder went on a killing spree?

In the end, Kyle ended up with people who understood him. Jason and Donna both got the whole 'I shouldn't really exist yet I am' and it didn't alienate them like it did others. Plus, both were his age; that being too old for the Teen Titans and too young for the Justice League.

* * *

"So is there a reason we are planning on stalking our sidekicks while you investigate irregular anomalies?" Hal asked, flying about the Bat's head as they headed for where the supposed spike was coming from. It didn't help that it was across the street from the three younger.

"Because those readings weren't normal. It was like a cross between a boomtube's motherbox and inter-dimensional portal." Batman growled over his shoulder, his cape flaring dramatically behind the man.

Diana sighed, her feet touching asphalt. "If it is a portal, we must be prepared but we should also know that Donna, Jason, and Kyle are not sidekicks anymore. They are heroes of their own respective natures and old enough that they can handle things like this."

"I trust them as much as I trust anyone in the league." Bats declared, heading around the corner.

The two other heroes looked at each other with exasperation. Hal's heels touched the ground as he waved Diana before him. The man was muttering about how Bruce was going to be the death of them all.

* * *

Around the corner to both sets of Heroes was where the Portal activated. There were two people that emerged from it, both girls. One was dressed like an Amazon while the other was dressed like a Bat.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Amethyst?" One of them asked. A sword sat sheathed on her waist opposite that of a silver dagger, her hand sat near the hilt at all times.

"Positive, Nico assured us that this is where the Challengers of the Beyond lives." Amethyst had similar black hair as the other but her costume was less warrior. A masked cowl covered her head, keeping her eyes from view as she glared at her companion.

"You know if we fail to find them we had utterly sentenced our entire universe to die, right?" The Greek woman addressed her as they walked around the corner.

"I am aware of that fact, Justice." Amethyst stopped as she caught sight of the three sitting in rod iron chairs. "Found them."

"Thank the gods." Justice reached for the clasp shaped as a bat at her throat, rubbing the polished metal "This is my favorite part."

"Just remember that no matter how much they may look like our parents, they aren't." Amethyst warned her, purple colored cape falling around her shoulders.


End file.
